Anthropogenic intervention is exerting enormous pressure on natural ecosystems, affecting water quantity and quality, and, as a consequence, threatening socio-economic and human development as described by the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, we still lack a proper understanding of how catchments respond to changing environmental conditions and disturbances. Answering these open questions requires interdisciplinary approaches in combination with novel monitoring methods and modelling efforts.
This session has two key foci: 1) hydrological processes in forested catchments in various climates, and 2) hydrological processes specifically in tropical systems.
Forests are recognized as prime regulators of the hydrological cycle and their change has effects on, for example, energy cycles and ecosystem services they provide. The traditional idea that forest hydrology emphasizes the role of forests and forest management practices on runoff generation and water quality has been broadened in the light of rapid global change. Some of the largest forested areas are located in the tropics and have suffered rapid land-use changes. These tropical systems are still markedly underrepresented in hydrological studies compared to temperate regions, especially concerning long-term observations. This session will bring together studies that will enhance our understanding and stimulate discussions on the impact of global change on forest and tropical hydrological processes at different scales.
We invite field experimentalists and modelers to submit contributions on process-oriented studies that investigate the hydrological cycle in forests and other land uses/land covers, from boreal to tropical regions, including also water quality and ecohydrological aspects.